“The Last Visit” “And he sticks the landing,” Joe Su-Shih said as his friend Pablo Vasquez executed the amazing skateboard trick. Pablo walked over to his friend; anybody could spot Pablo out of a crowd. He was a six-foot, black-haired Hispanic fourteen-year-old boy who was athletic. He was muscular and had broad shoulders and compared to Joe who was five foot and skinny, Pablo was a giant. As Joe and Pablo and Joe rode to the local basketball court on the their skateboards they passed much of their community. Pablo said, “I want to get out of this dump.” The walls were marked with graffiti and rusty signs were everywhere. It was the dark side of Los Angeles, where gangs roamed free and murders happened without anybody knowing. When Joe and Pablo reached the basketball court Pablo took out his basketball, an old Wilson, and dribbled it a few times. He said, “Okay, one game of Around the World to start out.” Pablo started out first. The fist seven shots inside the arch were all swishes. Pablo stepped back to the three point line and he made the first two, but when it came to the third he called challenge to try again, if he missed he would have to start again. Of course, though, Pablo made the shot. He had one the game without Pablo even taking one shot. Then, Pablo and Joe went to the one on one game. Pablo said, “Okay first to eleven, win by two, and you can start out with the ball. Also, winner’s ball.” Joe took the ball and did some fancy dribbling. Somehow, he got around Pablo. Joe then went up for the basic lay-up, but somehow Pablo was there and he blocked the shot, got it, and went up for a shot of his own. “One to zero,” Pablo said. He got the ball back and just kept shooting. Eventually it was ten to zero and Pablo was winning. He also had the ball. He passed Joe and went for the reverse lay-up. Pablo said, “Winner.” By the time they were done playing Joe and Pablo were sweating tremendously. Pablo said, “ It’s getting kind of late and I am going to head home.” He got his basketball and left on his skateboard. As he reached his apartment building, he looked around the horrible place that he lived. He knew that he was poor. Ever since his dad had died while serving in the army, Pablo’s family had been really poor. As he walked up to the steps he could smell the barbeque chicken pizza in his apartment. He walked in through the door and said hello to his mother. He sat down the table and his mom brought him a slice of pizza. Pablo thought it was like heaven in pizza form. His mother started to speak. She said, “Pablo, tomorrow after basketball practice you have to meet your grandfather at the senior center.” Pablo said, “No, I don’t have time and I will never want to spend time with that old man.” “Don’t talk like that!” Pablo’s mother exclaimed. “ No more! You are going to see your grandfather whether you like it or not,” Pablo’s mother added. At school the next day, Pablo met Joe in the locker room just before practice. “ So how’s it going?” Joe asked. Pablo replied, “ Nothing much.” Pablo added, “ Though I have see my grandfather today.” Joe said back, “ Too bad.” Practice ended right on time at 5:30 pm and Pablo got his stuff and took out his cell phone. He called his mom and told her that he was leaving for the senior center, which was just two blocks away. Pablo got on his bike that was parked in the bike rail and left for the senior center. He arrived and checked in at the check-in table. He asked for the room of Jose Vasquez. The clerk said, “Room 333.” As Pablo walked down the hallway he looked at the doors and the room numbers. “330,331, 332,” each door said. Finally, Pablo reached the door saying room 333. Under the number was the name Jose Vasquez. Pablo knocked and Mr. Vasquez replied energetically, “Come in.” He sounded young for a seventy-eight year old man and seemed happy that Pablo came to visit. As Pablo walked into the room Mr. Vasquez said, “Good to see you, Pablo.” Pablo replied, “ You too,” in a dull way. Mr. Vasquez said, “I’ve longed to tell my stories some one who would listen. Could you?” Pablo said, “Sure I’ll listen.” “Okay it all started out when I was born in El Paso, Texas to a poor mother and father from Puerto Rico. I was much like you.” Mr. Vasquez continued to talk. “ I had a okay childhood. My parents were great people and they loved me but they were in hard times and couldn’t get me the things that I wanted. They were regular parents though; they made me grow, learn and they punished me when I was doing something wrong. By the time I was sixteen my father passed away in a car accident. I was even more like you then. Anyway, I was lost because I had no longer had a fatherly figure in my life. We became even poorer than before and I thought that I could never get out. Then, though, I realized that I could get a better life if I studied. By the time I was seventeen it was clear to me that I wanted to become a doctor. All I need to do was pass a test. ‘No problem’ I thought to myself, well I was wrong. My friends were always over and I never studied when they were. I failed the test and when I was eighteen I had to go somewhere. I needed money so I joined the army, my last choice. I earned money and sent it to my mother but I always regretted not going to medical school. I never got to be what I truly desired.” “You understand what I am telling you,” Mr. Vasquez said. “No, not really,” Pablo replied. “Okay, well it was nice to see you, but I think visiting hours are over. I’ll see you next time.” Pablo replied, “ Well, good buy then.” Pablo left not really learning any lesson from the visit. As Pablo left the senior center on his bike he saw a sporting goods store. He looked at his worn out sneakers and went to the store. He needed new shoes and he saw great ones in the window. As he entered the store he looked at the price tag on the shoes. The shoes were eighty-five dollars. That was way over his price limit but he needed shoes and wanted those ones. He was tired of being so poor. Pablo’s brain didn’t think much and he ran out of the store with the shoes. As the alarms went off Pablo kept on running. A security guard though caught him and took him back to the store. As Pablo sat in a cell he looked at the other people around him in other cells. He thought to himself that these people had no dreams. As Pablo waited in the cell room he thought of his grandfather and how Pablo should try and do something different with his life. He thought that he should try and get a job as something that he wanted to do later in life. On that day Pablo vowed that he would he would someday work for NASA and respect his grandfather more. He also said that he would see his grandfather more often. When Pablo got out of his cell that he was held in, his mother told him of the news of Pablo’s grandfather and how he passed away that day. It really was the last time that Pablo would see his grandfather. Four Years Later Pablo graduated from high school and was accepted to MIT for with grants and scholarships. He said that it was made possible by his grandfather.
“The Last Visit”
“And he sticks the landing,” Joe Su-Shih said as his friend Pablo Vasquez executed the amazing skateboard trick. Pablo walked over to his friend; anybody could spot Pablo out of a crowd. He was a six-foot, black-haired Hispanic fourteen-year-old boy who was athletic. He was muscular and had broad shoulders and compared to Joe who was five foot and skinny, Pablo was a giant.
As Joe and Pablo and Joe rode to the local basketball court on the their skateboards they passed much of their community. Pablo said, “I want to get out of this dump.” The walls were marked with graffiti and rusty signs were everywhere. It was the dark side of Los Angeles, where gangs roamed free and murders happened without anybody knowing. When Joe and Pablo reached the basketball court Pablo took out his basketball, an old Wilson, and dribbled it a few times. He said, “Okay, one game of Around the World to start out.” Pablo started out first. The fist seven shots inside the arch were all swishes. Pablo stepped back to the three point line and he made the first two, but when it came to the third he called challenge to try again, if he missed he would have to start again. Of course, though, Pablo made the shot. He had one the game without Pablo even taking one shot. Then, Pablo and Joe went to the one on one game. Pablo said, “Okay first to eleven, win by two, and you can start out with the ball. Also, winner’s ball.” Joe took the ball and did some fancy dribbling. Somehow, he got around Pablo. Joe then went up for the basic lay-up, but somehow Pablo was there and he blocked the shot, got it, and went up for a shot of his own. “One to zero,” Pablo said. He got the ball back and just kept shooting. Eventually it was ten to zero and Pablo was winning. He also had the ball. He passed Joe and went for the reverse lay-up. Pablo said, “Winner.” By the time they were done playing Joe and Pablo were sweating tremendously. Pablo said, “ It’s getting kind of late and I am going to head home.” He got his basketball and left on his skateboard.
As he reached his apartment building, he looked around the horrible place that he lived. He knew that he was poor. Ever since his dad had died while serving in the army, Pablo’s family had been really poor. As he walked up to the steps he could smell the barbeque chicken pizza in his apartment. He walked in through the door and said hello to his mother. He sat down the table and his mom brought him a slice of pizza. Pablo thought it was like heaven in pizza form. His mother started to speak. She said, “Pablo, tomorrow after basketball practice you have to meet your grandfather at the senior center.” Pablo said, “No, I don’t have time and I will never want to spend time with that old man.” “Don’t talk like that!” Pablo’s mother exclaimed. “ No more! You are going to see your grandfather whether you like it or not,” Pablo’s mother added.
At school the next day, Pablo met Joe in the locker room just before practice. “ So how’s it going?” Joe asked. Pablo replied, “ Nothing much.” Pablo added, “ Though I have see my grandfather today.” Joe said back, “ Too bad.”
Practice ended right on time at 5:30 pm and Pablo got his stuff and took out his cell phone. He called his mom and told her that he was leaving for the senior center, which was just two blocks away. Pablo got on his bike that was parked in the bike rail and left for the senior center. He arrived and checked in at the check-in table. He asked for the room of Jose Vasquez. The clerk said, “Room 333.”
As Pablo walked down the hallway he looked at the doors and the room numbers. “330,331, 332,” each door said. Finally, Pablo reached the door saying room 333. Under the number was the name Jose Vasquez. Pablo knocked and Mr. Vasquez replied energetically, “Come in.” He sounded young for a seventy-eight year old man and seemed happy that Pablo came to visit. As Pablo walked into the room Mr. Vasquez said, “Good to see you, Pablo.” Pablo replied, “ You too,” in a dull way. Mr. Vasquez said, “I’ve longed to tell my stories some one who would listen. Could you?” Pablo said, “Sure I’ll listen.”
“Okay it all started out when I was born in El Paso, Texas to a poor mother and father from Puerto Rico. I was much like you.” Mr. Vasquez continued to talk. “ I had a okay childhood. My parents were great people and they loved me but they were in hard times and couldn’t get me the things that I wanted. They were regular parents though; they made me grow, learn and they punished me when I was doing something wrong. By the time I was sixteen my father passed away in a car accident. I was even more like you then. Anyway, I was lost because I had no longer had a fatherly figure in my life. We became even poorer than before and I thought that I could never get out. Then, though, I realized that I could get a better life if I studied. By the time I was seventeen it was clear to me that I wanted to become a doctor. All I need to do was pass a test. ‘No problem’ I thought to myself, well I was wrong. My friends were always over and I never studied when they were. I failed the test and when I was eighteen I had to go somewhere. I needed money so I joined the army, my last choice. I earned money and sent it to my mother but I always regretted not going to medical school. I never got to be what I truly desired.”
“You understand what I am telling you,” Mr. Vasquez said. “No, not really,” Pablo replied. “Okay, well it was nice to see you, but I think visiting hours are over. I’ll see you next time.” Pablo replied, “ Well, good buy then.” Pablo left not really learning any lesson from the visit. As Pablo left the senior center on his bike he saw a sporting goods store. He looked at his worn out sneakers and went to the store. He needed new shoes and he saw great ones in the window. As he entered the store he looked at the price tag on the shoes. The shoes were eighty-five dollars. That was way over his price limit but he needed shoes and wanted those ones. He was tired of being so poor. Pablo’s brain didn’t think much and he ran out of the store with the shoes. As the alarms went off Pablo kept on running. A security guard though caught him and took him back to the store. As Pablo sat in a cell he looked at the other people around him in other cells. He thought to himself that these people had no dreams. As Pablo waited in the cell room he thought of his grandfather and how Pablo should try and do something different with his life. He thought that he should try and get a job as something that he wanted to do later in life. On that day Pablo vowed that he would he would someday work for NASA and respect his grandfather more. He also said that he would see his grandfather more often. When Pablo got out of his cell that he was held in, his mother told him of the news of Pablo’s grandfather and how he passed away that day. It really was the last time that Pablo would see his grandfather.
Four Years Later
Pablo graduated from high school and was accepted to MIT for with grants and scholarships. He said that it was made possible by his grandfather.